Anxiety decisions — 2023

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, anxiety, and insomnia), headaches, traumatic brain injury, obstructive sleep apnea, knee disorders, foot disorders, ankle disorders, elbow disorders, shoulder disorders, hip disorders, hand disorders, wrist disorders, lumbar spine disorders, shin disorders, cold injury disorders, upper extremity cold injury disorders. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a diagnosis for these conditions during service or within one year of discharge and thus could not establish service connection.

The Board has granted the Veteran's requests to readjudicate his claims for HIV, erectile dysfunction, major depression and anxiety with short-term memory loss and somatic symptom disorder, and pharyngitis/throat blockage. The issues have been remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error and for an etiology opinion regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disabilities.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is granted service connection. The left shoulder disability and psychiatric disorder are denied service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for unspecified anxiety disorder, which is secondary to his service-connected prostate cancer, has been remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hemorrhoids has been denied as no new and relevant evidence was received.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a neck disability has been denied as no new and relevant evidence was received.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, persistent depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder) has been granted based on the submission of new and relevant evidence.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a sleeping disorder (diagnosed as sleep apnea) has been granted based on the submission of new and relevant evidence.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee condition, finding that the Veteran's current left knee condition did not begin during active service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Board remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for generalized anxiety disorder due to insufficient medical opinion provided by the VA examiner.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate opinions and missing medical records. The Veteran's back condition and psychiatric disorder are still under review.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected left shoulder disability. Other claims for various conditions are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD with depression has been granted.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea syndrome, low back disability, and bilateral pes planus have also been reopened.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for an eye disorder and TBI secondary to depression, as these issues were inextricably intertwined with the increased rating claim for depression. The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression prior to July 10, 2018 is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, and therefore, the claim for a TDIU from September 2019 is denied.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for TBI, an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD, anxiety, MDD, and alcohol/drug abuse), a sleep disorder (insomnia), acid reflux, and erectile dysfunction (ED).,The appellant's current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for service connection as his bilateral hearing loss does not meet VA's definition of a disability.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, but has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates for service connection have been denied as the earliest possible effective date is October 1, 2016, the day after his separation from active service.,The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on multiple disabilities have been remanded due to new evidence received since the last decision.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA psychiatric examination to determine if the Veteran's diagnosed psychiatric disabilities are related to service or any incident of service, and whether they are due to or the result of his right third, fourth, and fifth hammer toes, calluses of the feet, and other service connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to unresolved issues related to service connection, including exposure to environmental hazards during the Gulf War. The Veteran's mental health conditions and musculoskeletal disabilities are also under consideration.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including lymphedema and fatigue syndrome, rendered her unable to work from March 5, 2004. The Board granted TDIU effective February 12, 2013.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were dismissed. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for a back disorder, which requires further examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, OCD, right ankle pain, left ankle pain, right foot plantar fasciitis, and left foot plantar fasciitis were denied. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression are currently rated as 0%.